30th Anniversary
by AZGirl
Summary: Saving the day was much more important, but that didn't mean Jack wasn't disappointed to miss out on celebrating the 30th anniversary.


**A/N:** I realized while writing this that the timeline for this story might not work with season 3 of the show… Let's pretend it _does_ work, OK? ;o)

.

 **ooooooo**

"Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs…"

~~~~~ John McClane (Bruce Willis), _Die Hard_.

ooooooo

"Matty, you can't be serious!"

"Sorry, Jack," Matty said, not sounding at all apologetic, "but this can't wait."

"But—"

"Zip it, Dalton. I don't want to hear it. Airport, now!"

Jack looked towards Mac for support, and found sympathy in his best friend's eyes, but they both knew they couldn't delay this mission. They were the only ones who could save the day.

Or rather, Mac was the one who could save the day, and there was no way that he was going to let the kid go off on a mission without him. Mac looked like he wanted to argue, but a look of resignation swiftly followed. It told Jack that his answering expression had been correctly interpreted.

As much as he wanted to stay in town, people's lives were at stake, and their plans that night were inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

"On our way, Matty," Mac said, clapping Jack on the shoulder, squeezing it briefly, on his way out of the room.

Jack may or may not have mumbled a few curses as he followed the younger man out of the war room.

ooooooo

 _Three days later…_

Jack was driving Mac home, and if his friend looked half as exhausted as he felt, then they both deserved about 20 hours of sleep.

"Sorry you had to miss the anniversary, pal."

"It was the thirtieth," Jack said, feeling disappointed all over again.

Mac's expression turned apologetic, obviously having realized he shouldn't have brought the subject up again. "I know."

"And that special… You bought us tickets."

"Yeah. It would've been great. I've never seen it on the big—"

"You would've loved it, man. I know we've seen it before, many times, but on the big screen…" Jack chuckled and his expression turned fond. "I would be surprised if you didn't find some new things to nitpick."

Mac grinned. "Maybe they'll do it again for the thirty-fifth?"

"Doubt it. Fiftieth, maybe, but thirty-fifth… Who celebrates that?"

"Married couples?"

Jack snorted. "Yeah, I guess."

For the next few miles, it was quiet in the car.

"Jack, if you're as exhausted as I feel, then I don't think you should drive home," Mac said. "Bozer is still out of town. Why don't you use his room, and we'll have some dinner later. Sound good?"

"Sounds great, man. I don't think it's a good idea for me to be out on the roads much longer."

ooooooo

Jack woke up to a dark and quiet house. Normally, it wouldn't bother him, but this particular dark and quiet had an empty feeling associated with it. After their last mission, it made him a bit nervous.

He quickly put his jeans and shoes back on, and grabbed his gun. As he made his way out towards the kitchen, wondering if Mac was still asleep, he tucked his weapon in the waistband of his pants.

Knowing his way around the house so well allowed him to avoid any obstacles, and he was just about to open the refrigerator to grab a water, when he heard a thump and a muffled curse. His gun was in hand before he knew it.

The voice was easily recognizable as Mac's, and it didn't sound panicked—. There was another muffled curse, and the sound of something being moved about, which somehow set his mind at ease. These were sounds that Mac was up to something and not in danger, except maybe from himself or one of his inventions.

Jack put the gun back in his waistband, and said, "Hey, Mac. Where you at?"

"Outside!"

Mac sounded excited as a little kid on Christmas day, which made him smile and put him even more at ease. He made his way out to the deck, and found it much altered.

There was a large, white sheet hung up on one of the walls, with two of the deck chairs set up in front of it, and a large cooler placed in between them. Another couple of sheets were being used to block out most of the city lights. Mac's laptop and some other contraption were set up on the small table that was usually between the deck chairs. Except for the low-burning fire in the pit, there was no other lighting.

He looked at Mac, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I know you're disappointed we didn't get to see that special 30th anniversary showing of Die Hard at the El Capitan, so I decided to do my best to make up for it. The pizza should be here any minute."

Jack was stunned, though in the back of his mind, he knew he shouldn't be. Mac did amazing, kind, and generous things for his family all of the time.

"Mac, I—" Jack began, but was interrupted by the doorbell.

"That's the pizza," Mac said as he moved past Jack and towards the stairs leading down into the house.

Jack grabbed his forearm, turning Mac around. He held up his hand, which Mac clasped, and then Jack pulled the kid into a quick hug. "Thanks, Mac."

"Of course, Jack," Mac replied. The front door's buzzer sounded once again. "Let me get this pizza, and we can start the movie."

As Mac went down the stairs, Jack said, "Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs…"

Mac laughed as he went into the house.

After this last, difficult and exhausting mission, they deserved a break.

And, what better way to relax and celebrate the 30th anniversary of his favorite movie than by watching it with his best friend?

 **ooooooo**

 _The end._

 **ooooooo**

.

 **A/N:** On 15 July, 1988, Die Hard starring Bruce Willis premiered in movie theaters. I saw an article about the movie's anniversary the other day, and then Die Hard was on TV last night, which I couldn't resist watching. Almost immediately, this story popped into my head, and when I found out the original premiere date, I knew I had to write something. I hope you enjoyed.

Many thanks to Celticgal1041 for proofing! Remaining mistakes are Hans Gruber's fault. ;o)

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


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